Garment hanger



Sept. 29, 1959 c. E. MONUTT GARMENT HANGER Filed June 2, 195a United States Patent 2,906,442 GARMENT HANGER Clara E. McNutt, Toledo, Ohio Application June 2, 1958, Serial No. 739,095 3 Claims. 01423-94 This invention relates to garment hangers.

An object of this invention is toprovide a collapsible or foldable hanger, wherein the arms thereof may be brought into a substantially parallel position at will from an oppositely extending position or vice versa.

Another object of this invention is to provide interconnecting arm linkage incorporating a partial manual and a partial automatic control therefor.

And another object of this invention is to provide adjustable length supporting arms having a common linkage therebetween.

Other objects and advantages of this invention relating to the arrangement, operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction, to combination of parts and to economies of manufacture, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a garment hanger embodying the invention herein, illustrating, in dotted lines, the position of the parts when the hanger is in folded position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the central or control portion of the hanger;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation from the right of Fig. 2 showing details of the control; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified arm construction;

The hanger herein comprises a central primary platelike element including a pair of projections or legs 12, extending in one direction therefrom, and a flanged portion 14 perpendicularly extending from the plate 10 opposite the legs 12. The plate 10 is provided with a central struck-out portion 16 providing a swivel seat for one terminus 18 of wire hook element 20.

Pivotally attached to each leg 12, by means of a hollow rivet 22, is an arm 24, outwardly terminating therefrom in spoon or paddle-like portions 26. Intermediately, between the pivotal attachments 22 and the enlarged portions 26, each arm 24 is provided with a fulcrum providing rivet 28 mounting one end of a link 30, the opposite ends of such links being pivotally attached to rivet 32, which elbow providing rivet 32 also mounts the lower terminal of wire 34 extending upwardly therefrom through the flange 14, as a bearing therefor, to terminate in a free hook-like finger tip 36.

Disposed between the flange 14 and the fulcrum 32, spring 38 exerts its force against the pivot connection 32. There is thus provided a toggle connection between the 2 arms 24 and withthe spring 38 :exerting a force against the elbow thereof, the arms are normally urged outwardly to extend in opposite directions from the plate 10. In this position the links 30, forming the toggle, are thrown slightly past dead center so that the arms, plate and toggle form a rigid garment hanger.

In many articles of clothing, which it is desired to suspend from a hanger, the opening in the garment is comparatively small, as for example in the so-called turtle-neck sweaters. In order to facilitate the placing of these types of garments on hangers, it has been found desirable to collapse or fold the arms into a substantially close parallel relationships. The arms may be then readily inserted into the garment and the arms are then swung outwardly to provide the desired support. To accomplish the folding and hanging of the garment herein, it is only necessary to grip the hook portion 36 and pull the same away from the flange 14. This breaks the toggle-lock and pulls the arms 24 toward each other compressing the spring 38. Release of the grip 36 allows the compressed spring to automatically reset the parts into open hanger position.

In some instances, it is desirable to have an adjustable length arm, and to this end, rod-like extensions 40 may have connection 42 with the arm sections 24, the remote ends of such extension 40 being attached to the pivots 22. The pivotal connections 28 may be positioned at the proper leverage points along these telescopically adjustable length arms.

The garment hangers disclosed herein may readily be grasped by the hooks 20 with a finger engaging the hook portion 36, and a squeeze action therebetween collapses the hanger and a release thereof permits the hanger to expand from folded position into normal position, and then may be suspended from a support in the usual mannor, the swivel connection 16, 18 permitting the desired degree of flexibility usually demanded in garment hangers.

It is to be understood that the above description of the present invention is intended to disclose an embodiment thereof to those skilled in the art, but that the invention is not to be construed as limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operation and function of the elements of the invention is employed for purposes of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

What is claimed and desired to secure by United States Letters Patent:

1. A garment hanger embodying a plate, a pair of oppositely extending arms hingedly suspended from said plate, a link intermedially and pivotally attached to each arm, said links extending towards each other, pivot means for the other ends of the links, a slide having one end engaging said pivot means and its opposite end terminating in a grip, means for mounting the slide for movement relative to the plate, and means in engagement with the plate and proximate to the grip and being independent of the slide for suspending the plate from a support.

2 The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein a com Q pression spring is in engagement with and extends between said plate and the pivot means tending to bias the mentioned other ends of the links away from the plate to normally hold the arms in an extended relation to the plate.

3. In a garment hanger of the class described, a plate, means for suspending said plate from a support, said plate having a perpendicularly extending portion providing a bearing, a pair of arms pivotally connected to said plate and extending in opposite directions therefrom, a toggle joint extending between and connected to said arms and having a centrally hinged portion, a toggle operating element independent of said plate suspending means and connected to said centrally hinged portion and extending through said bearing, and a compression spring extending between and in engagement with said bearing and said centrally hinged portion.

References (Jited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 589,901 Lincoln et a1 Sept. 14, 1897 959,687 Altermatt May 31, 1910 1,111,147 Fogde Sept. 22, 1914 1,886,869 Button Nov. 8, 1932 

